Swimming pool



.May 5, 1925. Y

E. w. BOWEN SWIMMING PoL Filed July s. 1924 Patented May 5', 119275. l l

oNrri-:D STATES W. BOWEN, or JAcKsoNvIIlnn, FLORIDA.

yswimunve Poor..

i Application led July 3,

, sha l be safe, simple" and of inexpensive construction. v A

V'Another object of the invention is to pro- Y .videa .device of the character 5in whichy a currentof lwater shall be created-in a di- A, v rectionto assist and encourage the learner. :1

l"Another object ofl the invention is to i vprovide-a separate body of water in a basin f .Figure 2.a' section-on line 2 2 OfFgUfe 7 f or,y container forming lpart of Vthe same structure, which body shall be of ordinary tem,-

-those-.competent in the art of swimming.

f? `Referring to thel accompanying drawings, which are'made a part hereof and on which similar reference. characters indicate similar fparts, f n .n

Figure 1 is aplan of the device of my'inkkFigure 3, a section lon, line 3.-;3 of FignIn--the drawings reference character 10 indicates theybottom'of a tank which may `be formed vin one-'piece with sides 11 yand lends 12,'fthebottom-preferably, though not p necessarilygfbeing stepped'a's shown in Fig- 1 ure'f3 to correspond ftothe different depths 'of dierent parts of the constructionwhich I have called a tank. Partition walls :13, 14 and 15 mayalso be'formed integral with the V bottom and isi'de walls'of the tank.' As a matter of convenience I have shown the parts above referredtoas being made off concrete. It will be understood'that any vdesirable or'conventional material may be used. Y iThe parallel portionsorcompartments of which thecompart'ment `at 16 is separate and dis-y y artitionwalls divide the interior of' thentan "topform a tortuous channel having 1924. Serial No. 724,157.

tinct from the others and is ofk'such a .size

PATENr OFFICE( ISIS `and `depth as may be considered desirablek for ytheuse of swimmers not needing primary instruction. JThis compartment has .flights of steps at 1'? and 18leading kdown into it and hand rails at'20 alongside the steps. An inlet `is-shown at 21, an outlet at 22 and an overflowppe at 23 for regulating the normal level of the water. e

llhe remaining compartments are connected 'to permit the water to iow from one to the other compartmentthe one at 24 being theshallowest and the `one .in which children will first start to learn. Theconfstructionis not necessarily limited to children as the dimensions of the device may be `such as to provide for instruction oi adults, or separate devices may be provided for persons of different agesf Steps at 25' lead down f l to the compartment 24, hand rails 25 being provided along said'steps, anda rise aty 26 `himand that the compartment isy shallow.

Thisjrise hassloping sides to prevent perkapproximately midway of the length vof the .compartment is arranged to provide a restperature and of suilicient'depth for use by soV sons from bumping abruptly against it and hurting themselves, `and-1s underl water.

v Preferably itis covered with soft'jmaterial,

such `as canvas. At the endv of this first compartmentfthere is a step 2.7'by means of which'persons may leave at this point and yreturn to the `steps-25 to pass through this section, as often as they may desire or deem necessary. `At the end adjacent the step 27 the first compartment communicates withv another section28 through a barrier "2Q-per- `iforated to permit the water to'pass asindicated in Figure 3. The purpose of this arrangement is to" permit water to flow freely from compartment 24 to compartment 28 but to make vit necessary for pupils to rise and -step over the perforated barrier29.

The compartment 28 is similar tocompartment 24, the risef26 extending crosswise through all the instruction compartments or at least throughv the irst two and is separated at its further en'd from the compartment 30 by another barrier' 29.y IA step 31 provides means for egress at theend of compartment 28, if desired, this compartment being deeper'than'compartment r24 as will be fenters lunder, the 4steps at 32. 'comefrom kany natural or 'artiiici'alsource. A pump 33 driven by a mot-or 34 propels :the .water into and through a passage indion the tank, e.

cated-in. dotted lines at 35, said passage extending from the partition 1'3 and opening` under the steps 25. The pump may be dispensed vwith -where water under pressure is available. A continuous circulation of ,water is preferably kept up, the current passing to 'the left through the compartment 2l of the tortuou's passageway, then to the right through compartment .28, then to the left-through 'compartment 30, 4at the leftliand end 'off which it-'may pass out through a pipe'b which *pipe also serves to determine the level of the water insuch tortuous course. p

number of drains -are indicated at `3"( it ,'.beingnecessary to "provide drains for 'each of the compartments defined by the barrier .26 and the adjacent walls. It is 4lesirable that the means for distribution lof water "such .as inlet and outlet passages lshould .be controlled from a'single position g. atsome point near the motor 34 and ways of doing this will be obvious to those skilled inthe art of plumbmg. y

e At certain seasons of the year it will lbe desirable to warm the water 'in the tank,

especially for instruction of tchildren and .for thispuropse I .have shown a heating @device at .38 having pipes 39 for steam or hot lwater leading-therefrom into the space underneath-the steps 32. The showing of this device is merely conventional as the heating means may be of any desired form and may be connected in 'any 'desirable way tothe source of fluid supply, preferably so as toheat the incoming water.

It will be obvious'to those skilled in the "art that this and other details of the device l may be changed in many ways without departing lfrom the spirit of the invention and therefore I do not limit myself to the specific-embodiment of the invention shown in ythe drawings and described 1n the specification .but only as indicated in the appended claims.

n y Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new .and desire to secure by Letters .Patent is l. ltleans for instruction in swimming comprising a tortuous channel having parallel portions of different depths, and perforated barriers separating said portions of different depths from one another, substantially as set forth.

2. A swimming pool comprising a tank having a tortuous passage for inexperienced swimmers, and a plurality of barriers eX- tending from the bottom of said passage, substantially lasset forth.

3. A swimming pool comprising a tank having a plurality of communicatingchannels of different depths, and barri'ersnloca'ted in said channels, substantially as set forth.

In combination in 'a swimming pool a receptacle having a plurality of reservoirs kprovided with stepped bottom surfaces forming pools of diil'er'ent depths, one of said pools being separate and distinctiand the other of said pools being joined to provide 'a continuous water passage but having means for preventing the passage of swimmers, substantially as setforth.

5. In combinati-on in aswimming pool a receptacle having a plurality of reservoirs provided with stepped bottom surfaces forming pools of different depths, the 4pool of greatest depthsl being separate and distinct andthe other of said pools having their ends joined to provide a tortuous water passage, and obstructions located in said pools requiring swimmers toemerge from the water to pass thereover, substantial-ly as set forth.

6. A swimming lpool comprising a tank having a tortuous passage for inexperienced A swimmers, and a plurality of barriers eX- tending from the bottom of said passage, and a separate and distinct compartment for experienced swimmers, substantially yas set forth.

7. In combination in a swimming pool, a tank having a compartment forexperienced swimmers provided with steps at each fend, a plurality of vcompartments havingtheir bottom surfaces stepped to provide pools-'of different depths sa'idpools being joined at their -contiguous ends -and forming a -t-ortuous passage, said adjoining ends being provided with barriers permitting water to pass ltherethrough but requiring swimmers to pass over the same, 'obstructions located intermediate the ends of one of said compartments beneath the normal surface of the water, substantially as set for-th.

8. In combination in a swii'nming pool, a tank having a compartment for experienced swimmers provided with steps at each end, a plurality of Vcompartments having their bottom surfaces stepped to provide pools of different depths said poolsbeing joined at their contiguous ends and forming a tortuous passage, said adjoining ends being provided with barriers permitting water to pass therethrough but requiring 1,536,87b f n 3 swimmers to Passover theisame, obstrucmy hand and sealnt Washington, District tions located intermediate the ends of one of Columbia, this second day of Ju1y,\A. D.

of said `compartments beneath thev normal nineteen hundred and twenty-four.

surfacev of the water, andr means for *proi k `EDGAR W. BOWEN. 5 ducing a current insaid water,l substantially Witnesses; v

as set forth. Y I FRANK W. DAHN,

In lwitness whereof, I have hereunto set n M. S. YEATMAN. 

